Youth workers specialising in working with Māori communities also need to have knowledge of te reo Māori and tikanga (language and culture).

Working conditions

Youth workers:

may work full time or part time, shifts, long or irregular hours, or be on call

work indoors in youth centres, community facilities and offices, schools, homes, churches, marae and government agencies, or outdoors when running camping or sports activities

may travel locally to meet people they work with, and nationally to attend workshops.

What's the job really like?

Graham Jones

Youth Worker

Youth workers often start as volunteers

I was a youth leader at our local church and loved hanging out with the kids.

I was studying to be a PE teacher but the youth pastor at Massey asked if I'd ever thought of doing youth work as a profession. I switched to a diploma in youth and community studies and I’m glad I made the move.

Varied work

My work at Evolve varies – I might be mentoring, helping people access WINZ benefits and fill out forms, going to appointments, or helping with Study Link and study options.

I also run groups, anything from intense groups like helping people with mental health issues to board games.

Support and time out vital

A big thing is supervision [having professional support for your role]. When I was a young youth worker I didn’t think I needed it, but you just can’t do this job without having someone to talk to confidentially.

In my first youth work job it was hard to get away. My wife and I were both bringing work home and weren’t having time together. It just got too much.

Now we talk about work on the way home but once we get home we don't, so it’s calm and peaceful – that’s been huge – you need to have some breathing space and unplug at home.

Youth worker video

Mavis finds out about being a youth worker - 5.30 mins. (Video courtesy of Learning State)

Mavis: My name’s Mavis, I’m 16 years of age, I live in Whangarei. I want to find out about youth working, and what it is to be a youth worker. What do you have to know, and all those kinds of questions.

Clinton: Your questions are about to be answered Mavis. You’ll be spending this evening with Sonya Struginski a youth worker with Te Ora Hou, a Christian-based organisation working with Māori youth.

Sonya: The quality that we look for in youth workers is one needs to be their heart for young people, it’s not really about yourself, it’s about the young people that you’re working with.

Clinton: These young people have been referred by whānau, Child Youth and Family or the police.

Mavis: I’m feeling nervous, and excited too! So yeah, it’s a new experience for me and I can’t wait.

Sonya: Mavis' role tonight will be primarily to support the new girls that are coming along so it’s not all swimming for her unfortunately, but she’ll have a good time, I’m sure of it.

Clinton: Sonya , Mavis and the girls have arrived at the beach and meet up with the rest of the group. Time for action.

Sonya: It’s about the people coming together and feeling safe in a safe space, and that’s our role – to provide somewhere they feel comfortable, they feel nurtured, they feel that they belong, they feel that they’re part of something.

Sonya: Tonight we have a very special guest, I’d like to welcome Mavis Paetai!

Crowd: Woohoo!!

Sonya: Listen up closely, because she’s got the instructions!

Mavis: OK, we’re going to play this game, can everyone hop into pairs?

Sonya: Observing Mavis, I think she’s amazing.

Mavis: There’s three moves, and the names of the moves are “princess”, “horse” and “knight”. What are they?!

Crowd: “Princess”, “horse” and “knight”!

Sonya: She has got a good relationship with young people already and is ready to help people, so I can really see her going forward in youth work.

Clinton: There’s plenty of fun and games, and opportunities to learn new skills. These outings provide the troubled youths with a safe environment to relax from life’s stresses and a chance to confide in and get the support they need from their youth workers.

Sonya: A lot of times they just want to have someone listen to them, and if they want your opinion or advice, they’ll definitely ask for it, and if they don’t want it they’ll tell you!

Sonya: Yum! Dinner! Hey! You’re on the wrong side, mate!

Mavis: Oh!

Sonya: Oh you can have a dinner break, watch what you’re doing!

Clinton: This is no nine-to-five job. Organising and participating in camps, holiday programmes, and weekly outings can require working irregular hours.

Mavis and crowd: Singing.

Mavis ad Sonya: Hi! How are you?

Client: Good! How are you?

Sonya: Good to see you!

Clinton: Once a month Sonya visits the home of the youths she’s been detailed to. Today she’s catching up with Tayla and her mother Bianca who will shortly be moving to Australia.

Sonya: We’ve just come to catch up with you about Tautoko, so I can show you some photos.

Bianca and Tayla: Oh yeah!

Sonya: It’s quite important for us to go to their house, where they’re comfortable in their space, to be where they are, and sometimes you might just go and sit on the doorstep, and you do that for a whole year of visiting and that’s OK because that’s where they feel comfortable.

Sonya: So this is just some footage from the camp that we went to in Hastings.

Sonya: it’s one thing to pick the young person up and take them up for a programme, but it’s another thing for them to know you, to trust you. Because at the end of the day, you’ve got their child in your care.

Clinton: Tayla's mother, Bianca, can see how Sonya’s input has helped her daughter.

Bianca: I think she’s really lucky to have Sonya with her, and her journeys that she’s doing and what she’s doing. Any little problems, now she goes “Text Sonya” you know, and Sonya is there for her.

Clinton: With the family moving to Austraila, Sonya’s support will be missed.

Tayla: I don’t want to leave club.

Sonya: You don’t want to leave?

Tayla: It’s like my other family.

Sonya: Sometimes you build such good, close working relationships with young people and sometimes you see them go through hard times, and also when they move on into other areas, or they move away, it’s also pretty hard to say goodbye.

Sonya: See ya.

Clinton: Mavis’ time with Sonya has given her a good insight into the importance of the role of a youth worker.

Mavis: Just observing and taking on that responsibility makes you think, that’s what a youth worker does, not always having fun or always interacting with kids, you actually have to take a big responsibility, and watching and seeing how the kids react or how things affect them, and all those kinds of things.

Clinton: To become youth worker you will need a natural interest in helping others, any voluntary work with youths and teenagers will be helpful. Youth workers may move into social work, counseling or teaching with further training. There are two options to becoming a qualified youth worker. You can go to an education provider that runs NZQA-approved qualifications in youth work. Or if you have a job with a youth work organisation, you can study towards your qualification through work-based learning.

Entry requirements

There are no specific requirements to become a youth worker. However, most employers prefer you to have a relevant qualification such as a New Zealand Certificate in Youth Work (Level 3 or 4), a New Zealand Diploma in Youth Work (Level 6), or a similar qualification in a Māori context.

You will need to pass a police check, and hold a full driver's licence if travel is involved.